O: A great pale ale, tons of flavor, very clean and incredibly drinkable. I had no problem polishing off the entire 750ml growler. I have had more flavor forward pale ales, but few are as drinkable as this one, which I feel is important in a pale ale.

Wow, I am being constantly surprised with Vermont's IPAs. And this one doesnt dissappoint. This one pours a yellow/orangish hue, normal white two finger head. Aroma is of nice citrus and hops, clean smell. I like it a lot. The taste is awesome and follows the nose to a T. Mouthfeel is balanced and silky, dances off of the tongue. Its a lower ABV, which makes this thing so damn drinkable and enjoyable. Its a true champion of an IPA.

Appearance: Hazy, milky blond body with a tall white head that retains well.

Smell: Quite grassy up front, which eventually dissipates and reveals pineapple, lime and green tea. Yeast and malt are pretty neutral and allow the unusual hop aromas to shine. The hop character is unique, interesting and fairly enjoyable, but I'm not blown away by it.

Palate: Grainy, a bit gritty in texture, presumably from hop particles that didn't fully settle out. Lime and green tea flavors are prominent, with a touch of grapefruit bitterness toward the finish. Light and dry on the tongue, and firmly bitter in the finish. This is good and easy-drinking, but HF has made more impressive pale ales.

Poured from tap into provided stemware at the 2012 Harvest Fest. Pours a hazy light orangey hay with a good amount of foam. Huge huge hop aromas...realy nice pine and citrus. Taste is fantastic pine, citrus, grass hop flavor but almost bitter/sweet at the same time. Very well balanced with the malts as the usual hop bomb bitterness is so well masked that just the hop flavor is noticeable. Superb huge hop APA!

On tap from a friend's kegerator. Picked up at HF last week (thanks Shaun and Phil!). Multiple glasses. Looks similar to all HF pale ales, which is a nice, vibrant orange with a fluffy white head. The aroma is fantastic. Combines the grassy, dank, earthy hops traits with the citrus and tropical. The taste follows the nose. Piney, earthy, tropical and just delicious. The flavor profile is one of the best I've had (and a single hop at that!). At 5.2%, this packs a mountain of flavor. I could drink this forever.

Too bad these hops are so scarce. I hope the next crop of Riwaka is more abundant and this is made again in the future. Perhaps even an imperial Riwaka...